Dubai Electric and Water Authority (DEWA) and DP World announced the construction of the largest distributed solar rooftop project in the Middle East composed of 88,000 rooftop solar panels that will produce energy for 3,000 homes per year.

In a press conference during the Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) 2016, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of DP World, confirmed the joint venture to install these panels on 51 rooftops and four car parks across the two main ports in Dubai - the Jebel Ali Freezone and Mina Rashid Port.

The launch was made in the presence of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality, Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), and Mohammad Abdulla Ahli, Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA).

“This project, which is a part of the Shams Dubai initiative in cooperation with DP World, will enhance our efforts towards achieving Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’ vision to transform Dubai into the happiest and smartest city in the world. We are determined to continue building and developing a greener economy, to achieve the UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai Plan 2021. We will continue to strive to achieve the Dubai Plan 2021 to establish Dubai as a smart and sustainable city, whose environmental elements are clean, healthy, and sustainable,” said Al Tayer.

Al Tayer stated that DEWA is keen on cooperating with all public and private sectors corporations, to promote Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.

Upon the completion of phase one in 2017, the project will help in saving 22,000 tonnes of carbon annually, equivalent to taking 4,500 cars off the road. The solar panels will provide 40 per cent of the total energy consumption of Jafza, one of the world’s largest free trade zones.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said: “This landmark initiative will have major environmental benefits, and we are pleased to contribute to Dubai’s Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 as well as the UAE vision 2021 for a sustainable environment. This project demonstrates the scale of DP World’s ambition to be a world leader in sustainability and we look forward to sharing the learnings across our business and also with our stakeholders.”

Phases two and three will follow phase one (which is planned to produce a total of 22 megawatts at peak), with further solar installations due in JAFZA and Mina Rashid. With 77 marine and inland terminals in over 40 countries, there is significant scope for DP World to implement the learnings from this project across its operations.

Shams Dubai initiative allows customers to install PV panels on their rooftops to generate electricity from solar power, and connect the systems to DEWA’s grid. The electricity is used onsite and the surplus is exported to DEWA’s grid. An offset between exported and imported electricity units is conducted and the customer account is settled based on this difference.